(Written by John, a high school student in Beijing)

          When people see the title of this article, they will be confused.  How can one have a third grandmother?  Doubts will arise so I’ll begin by telling you that she wasn’t really my grandmother.   She was a very special mathematics teacher. I call her grandma, as that’s how I think of her. 

          When I was a junior school student, I did not understand the importance of study. I spent my time playing, and before I knew it, two years had passed and the time to take the high school entrance exam was fast approaching.  If I didn’t do well, I would miss the opportunity of going to high school.  How could I pass the difficult exam?  I became scared – was especially worried about mathematics.  It would not be easy to learn in one year all that I had neglected during the previous two years.  I was very depressed until a woman whom I now regard as my third grandma came into my life.           

          Teacher Chen was a mathematics teacher. She was over 70 years, a small woman with a good reputation who had taught for 50 years.  After talking with me for a while, she sensed that I had potential and decided to tutor me in math.  It was not easy at the beginning, as I was far behind.  She began with the lessons from Junior One and we worked together once a week.  At each visit, we reviewed the work I’d done, and she’d assign more for the coming week.  I was amazed that she was never angry with me.  She encouraged me every time we met.  As time passed, I found myself changing.  My confidence grew bit by bit.

          Sometimes I’d be asked to her home for our lessons.  She lived in a bungalow in the old Drum-Tower district of Beijing.  While I did exercises, her grandson would eat hamburger and jump up and down in the living room.  Each time I rode my bike down the old alleyway to get there, an indescribable feeling of gratitude would rise from my heart.  It was then that I began telling myself that she was my third grandma, but I was careful not to tell anyone else. 

          Teacher Chen was always conscientious as well as forgiving of any innocent mischief.  I remember well a Saturday morning when I was obsessed with something on the computer and forgot my lesson.  When she called and asked my mother to remind me, I was very uncomfortable and rode my bike as fast as I could to get there.  I expected that she would scold me and was ready to receive harsh words as soon as I entered her office.  Inconceivably, she merely smiled and told me not to be late next time.  Then we promptly started on the lesson.

          A year later, it was finally time to take the exam.  I was so nervous that I was certain I’d forgotten all I’d learned.  Her face then suddenly floated into my mind, and I remembered that she’d told me to start with the easiest questions.  Somehow all the knowledge she had given me would then return.  I reviewed the test paper and when I found many easy questions, my confidence came back little by little.  That helped me pick up my pen and start to work.

          I passed the entrance easily and felt lucky that I had a high score in math.  My new grandma was very happy but calm when she heard the result.  I still think of her often. 

          If I were asked to choose the most unforgettable person I’ve known in my life at this point (outside of my family), I’d choose Teacher Chen without a second thought.  There is no one else that even comes close.